Leek meatballs and what "Breaking Bad" and "Sons of Anarchy" have in common

One of the many reasons why I love Breaking Bad is that the show never compromised – I never felt like something was being done to please the audience, or that something had been suddenly changed to give us a happy ending. I love it when TV shows don’t take the coward route just so the viewers can feel less shocked – for instance, I might not like GoT but I truly admire the courage of the people behind it.

Now that I have finished watching season 1 of the excellent Sons of Anarchy I feel that this is not the coward kind of show, which makes me love it even more - apparently the people behind it don’t compromise either so season 2, here I go, and as soon as possible.

These meatballs, with a huge amount of leeks combined with the beef, were a wonderful surprise: incredibly light in texture, easy to make, delicious and great to have in the freezer (they can go to the oven still frozen, just bake them for a little bit longer), they might not be your typical meatballs but are certainly worth trying.

I might not accept silly, coward TV shows but I’m more than willing to accept meatballs made with more leeks than beef, especially when they taste this good. :)

Leek meatballs
slightly adapted from the über beautiful Jerusalem: A Cookbook

450g leeks, trimmed
300g beef mince
1 fat garlic clove, minced
1 egg
90g breadcrumbs
salt and freshly ground black pepper
handful of parsley leaves, chopped

Cut the leeks into slices, rinse well, and steam them for about 20 minutes until completely soft. Drain and leave to cool. Squeeze any residual water using a colander.
Pulse the leeks in food processor to chop, but don’t turn them into a paste. Transfer to a large bowl and add the beef, garlic, egg, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper and parsley. Mix to combine, then try to shape the mixture into balls – the job becomes easier if you lightly wet the palms of your hands. If the mixture is too wet, add 1 tablespoon breadcrumbs and mix again. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F. Line a large baking sheet with foil and brush the foil lightly with oil. Place the meatballs onto the foil and bake until golden and cooked through (about 30 minutes). Serve immediately.

The uncooked meatballs can be frozen for up to 1 month.

Makes about 25